Anything
by Angelicorn
Summary: Die Marron! Die! No, nothing about that evil stealer of Trunks: this is pure TP. Not nearly as mean as my first one, either!


Anything  
  
  
  
Gold sand gleamed beneath the sun's brilliant rays. The sea stretched out endlessly from the little bay's   
mouth, it's gentle roar filling the air. Rocky and warm brown cliffs hemmed in a half-circle of sand and   
sea. The harshness of a seagull's cry was muted, and the smells of salt and fish were powerful and   
comforting.  
  
The beach was completely abandoned…  
  
But not for long. Two figures leapt recklessly over the cliff's edge, floating lightly to the ground. Their   
laughter blended in with the sounds of the ocean.  
  
"Finally got you to take a day off work!" Pan exulted. "The mighty Trunks Briefs does have time for   
his friends, after all."  
  
He poked her in the stomach, making her giggle. "Silly. I just needed to work on my suntan, that's my   
excuse."  
  
Pan laughed. "Yeah, you're as white as a dead fish's belly! C'mon, let's swim!" She dumped her bag   
on the sand and began to strip off her outer layer of clothing.  
  
Trunks tried not to watch. Even though he knew she was wearing swimmers, still the sight of his best   
friend's niece undressing in front of him was… well- To distract himself, he began pulling off his own   
clothes.  
  
When he turned back around, wearing only his swimming trunks, he almost choked and a trickle of   
blood ran from his nose. That was her new swimsuit? It was a bright blue string bikini, and there   
seemed to be more string than bikini! He hadn't realised- well, not really- that Pan was so well-  
proportioned now!  
  
Pan chuckled cruelly. "You all right there, Trunks?" And spun on her heel, dashing for the water. "Last   
one in's a rotten egg!"  
  
He watched her run for a second, unable to tear his eyes away from her rear- then blushed hotly and   
followed. Was she doing this deliberately? No, she couldn't be- she'd never think of him that way. He   
was almost her uncle, for crying out loud! It was sick enough that he had these thoughts in his head.  
  
Once in the water, the two starting splashing and dunking eachother, floating in the waves, leaping   
around pretending to be dolphins, and all those other things that constitute playing around in the wet.  
  
  
  
Now wrinkled up like prunes, Trunks and Pan emerged from the water.  
  
"You wanna be careful when you wash that swimsuit," Trunks joked, reaching for his towel. "You're   
only barely within the safety zone as it is!"  
  
Pan started stripping the water from herself, and gave her hair only a rough towel before spreading the   
towel out on the sand and sitting on it. "But Trunks," she put on a girly voice, "This is what all the girls   
are wearing!"  
  
He chuckled. "All of them? There's barely enough room for one girl in there!"  
  
Pan took a comb out of her bag and started working on her hair.  
  
"You look good, Pan."  
  
She blinked. It was a sincere compliment. "Thanks."  
  
  
  
An hour later they had hardly moved. Both were now lying comfortably on their towels, words spilling   
from them freely.   
  
"Belly buttons." Trunks said unexpectedly.  
  
Pan laughed. "Belly buttons? Yes, everyone has one."  
  
"Except the Frankenstein monster."  
  
"Yes, except him. What about them?"  
  
"Oh, I was just thinking that they're pretty useful."  
  
"Useful?"  
  
"Yeah, they make bellies be not so plain. And if we didn't have them then all our guts and stuff might   
fall out the hole. We're pretty lucky, actually."  
  
"Geez. We've talked about dolphins, Dads, school, the meaning of life, Goten needing a girlfriend,   
octopusses- octopi I mean- movies, and now belly buttons." She blew a strand of hair out of her face.  
  
"Yep. I'm an innie." He leaned over. "You are, too." After a thoughtful moment, he added, "Do you   
know anyone who's an outie?"  
  
"Hmm." She examined the sky. "I think my Dad is."  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"I think Grandad might be, too."  
  
"Now, I know it's not genetic. That's pretty weird, huh?"  
  
She shrugged.  
  
"Your one's cute." He leaned over a little further, examining it more closely, and then gave in to an   
evil impulse.  
  
Pan's shriek rang out over the small beach as Trunks blew a fat raspberry on her stomach. Laughing the   
mad laugh of someone tickled to the point of breathlessness, she smacked him around the head. "You   
baka! What are you doing!"  
  
"I used to do that to my sister when she was little," he grinned. "She reacted almost exactly the same."   
He scouted around till he was lying sideways, resting his head on Pan's stomach. "You be a good little   
pillow then," he admonished.  
  
"Hmph."  
  
Trunks sighed lightly, and brought his arms up behind his head, pushing her leg down so he could   
brace his elbow along it. His skin tingled softly where it touched hers.  
  
"Oi, watch the elbows!" she snapped, but didn't move to push his arms off her. He interpreted that   
command correctly, and stopped fidgeting.  
  
"What will we talk about now? Your turn."  
  
"Beats me. Let's try to find shapes in the clouds."  
  
"Uh, Pan, there's not a cloud to be seen."  
  
"Oh yeah. Damn. Then let's pretend there's clouds so we can make up shapes in them."  
  
He laughed. "Sure. Hey, see, that one looks like a train engine!" He looked up at a non-existent cloud.  
  
"Yeah, spose it does. That one looks like a dinosaur."  
  
"Which one? There's a triceratops over there, and it's being chased by an allosaurus."  
  
"That one over there's a cute little kitten. I want a kitten."  
  
"Hmm, yeah, that'd be nice. A cute kitten to play with."  
  
"Do you reckon my Dad'll let me get one?"  
  
"Who knows?"  
  
A companionable hush fell for a few moments, Trunks enjoying the feel of Pan's body moving up and   
down beneath him with her breath. A normal person would be complaining about his weight, but she   
was part saiyan too, strong enough to not even notice it. "Now what?"  
  
"Oh, I dunno…" A snatch of an old song suddenly struck her, and she blushed slightly. "Let's talk   
about sex, baby, let's talk about you and me…"  
  
"Let's talk about all the good things, and the bad things, that may be," he continued. Then chuckled,   
and just as suddenly grew serious. "You done it yet?"  
  
"Nah." She was quiet, then; "Will wanted to, and Jon, but I didn't. I guess I'm a little nervous with the   
whole idea."  
  
"Mmm. It's not that bad, you know. It can be pretty good. Actually it can be damned fantastic." He   
smiled.  
  
"Yeah, but you're a guy. It's sposed to be better for guys. Besides, what have you got to be scared of?   
It doesn't hurt guys. You're not nearly as vulnerable, and there's not as much that you stand to lose."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Trunks, do you think it matters to guys if I don't want to sleep with them? Do you think that's why no   
guys have wanted to take me out lately, because I held out on the first two?"  
  
A troubled look came over his face. "It shouldn't matter, not if you find the right sort of guy. But I   
spose there's a lot of guys who wouldn't want to take you out if they didn't think they'd get very far."   
He looked away. "I guess I do that sometimes."  
  
She drew breath to speak, but didn't. It sounded as though he was in the middle of something important   
there.  
  
Trunks sighed. "I'm a jerk when it comes to girls, basically. Everybody knows that, I guess I just didn't   
realise it was true before. I only go out with girls that I think will sleep with me, and then I leave them   
after they do." He wasn't sure if he was trying to warn her away from him, or just confessing this.  
  
"Oh, Trunks."  
  
"It's stupid. I wish I didn't do it. The number of mad fathers I've had pounding at my door- I've got to   
stop it."  
  
"Damn straight." It wasn't said spitefully, though, just normally.  
  
He closed his eyes. "Thanks for listening to me, Pan. I needed to say that."  
  
"Better stick to it too. Or I'll tell your father to beat you."  
  
They chuckled together. Trunks felt the pulse rush across his closed eyes, and opened them to ease it.   
"You're such a great friend, Pan. I can tell you anything. There's so many secrets I've shared with you   
that I wouldn't have told anyone else, not even Goten."  
  
"Yeah… I know what you mean. I remember when I told you I had that crush on Josh. And then you   
told me about that time when you…"  
  
"I remember," he cut her off, his face flaming bright red. He couldn't believe he'd been caught.  
  
Pan smiled. She knew she'd always be able to embarrass him with that one.  
  
"I can tell you anything," he repeated himself, musing. "Anything…"  
  
Pan waited, not sure what he was building up to, but he didn't continue. "Okay, what is it this time,   
Trunks? You know I'll keep your secrets for you."  
  
He bit his lip. "I think I'm falling in love with someone."  
  
Pan's stomach tensed slightly under him, and she was silent for a moment. Then; "So who is she? Or is   
it Goten?"  
  
He didn't answer the question. "I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I mean, there's so   
many problems. Why can't it just be simple? I wish that I'd never known her, so that I could meet her   
at a club or something and just enjoy the way we fall for eachother. The way it is, I don't think I'm   
strong enough to make it work out."  
  
The quarter-saiyan reached down to toy with a lock of lavender hair. "Trunks, you are one of the   
strongest people I've ever known, and I'm not just talking about fighting power. If there's problems, I   
think that real love is worth some effort for."  
  
"Yeah… but I'm not just talking issues here, I'm talking life and death."  
  
"Stop being so goddamn vague!"  
  
He didn't want to be. What if she figured it out? "There's two main problems, I suppose- no, three- no,   
four. Any one of those I might be able to handle by itself, but all together it's- it looks pretty   
impossible."  
  
"Nothing is impossible."  
  
"Try stapling water to a wall."  
  
Pan snorted laughter. "Well, maybe that. Unless it's a horizontal wall. But I'm serious. Surely you and   
her can work around it. Have you told her yet?"  
  
"Hmm, well, that's another problem. I don't care how many enemies I've fought, I'm not that brave."  
  
"Don't give me that." She gave a little chuckle, and joked, "Hey, four problems- her father, her uncle,   
your father… What's the other one?"  
  
Suddenly he moved with almost frightening speed. He rolled sideways, planting a hand beside her to   
brace himself above her. His face was inches from hers, his pale blue eyes boring deeply into hers.  
  
Pan sucked in a breath, wavering between excitement and fear.  
  
His voice was intense. "The fact that I'm twice her age."  
  
Her mouth opened and closed, twice. In a shaking voice she stammered, "T-T-Trunks, I-"  
  
"Pan," he breathed huskily, waiting for a response.  
  
"I- I- Trunks, I was only kidding…"  
  
Trunks felt as though his heart had just shattered in his chest. He pushed himself away from her, his   
eyes raw holes. A blue aura formed around him and he blasted away.  
  
Pan gaped at the crater in the sand. Slowly, she picked up her things and began to head for home.  
  
  
  
She doesn't love me!!!!!!  
  
Trunks felt like ripping himself open, like beating himself to death, like burning to bones in the hottest   
fire imaginable. How could he have been so STUPID?!!! What did he think he was DOING, TELLING   
her? The wind tore at him fiercely, and he sped faster, tears of rage and loss lashed from his eyes.  
  
She could never love me! His fists clenched tighter. I'm disgusting. I'm nothing. I should be more   
grateful than words that she even let me be her friend! Not that she'll even want that anymore, now that   
I've made such a KUSO of myself!  
  
A further doubt struck at him. What if she had remembered his confession from earlier, what if that had   
made her act the way she did? If he had not said that, would she have not been only kidding?  
  
He swore roughly, Capsule Corp looming before him. He struck the ground with a thump and stormed   
inside.  
  
As he set foot on the staircase, he heard his father calling out.  
  
"Brat? Stop right there!"  
  
He ignored him. A moment later, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder- a hand which forcibly stopped   
his movement.  
  
Trunks spun on his heel, his eyes burning into those of his saiyan father.  
  
"I said stop!" Vegeta snarled.  
  
A guttural growl burst from Trunks' throat. "Leave me be."  
  
"Enough of that, brat." Vegeta grabbed his arm and dragged him back into the kitchen, despite his   
protests. Once there, he slammed his son into a chair and sat on the edge of the table next to him.   
"Now. What is wrong with you? I've never seen you like this before. I greeted you politely enough,   
and then had to shout for you to hear me. What's up?"  
  
Trunks growled again, refusing to meet his father's eyes. "You wouldn't understand. I said, leave me   
be."  
  
"It's about that spawn of Kakarott's, isn't it?" At his son's expression, he clarified, "Pan. What   
happened?"  
  
"How did you know?" Trunks looked shocked.  
  
"Hmph. An infant could smell that you've been spending time with her. And there is no rage like that   
of a spurned saiyan's love. Did she refuse you?"  
  
Trunks gasped. His father knew that he loved her? Then, sullenly, he answered, "Worse. She didn't   
even take me seriously. She was only kidding!" he spat. His eyes shifted, murderous, to his father's. "Is   
that enough for you?"  
  
"Relax. Any idiot could tell that the two of you are bonding!" Vegeta snapped back. "Let me tell you,   
it's not easy, or fun. I should know! But now I've gotta train. I was going to ask you to spar, but it's   
painfully obvious you won't be able to concentrate on anything but your misery!"  
  
The saiyan prince stalked out the door- and then waited, his ear to the other side, until he heard his son   
head for his bedroom.  
  
  
  
When the phone rang at her house, Pan picked it up, her nerves still shaking. She was so confused.   
"Hello?"  
  
"Pan?" It took her a moment to recognise the voice- but then she had to cut back on a giggle. Vegeta   
actually knew how to use one of these? "That is you, isn't it?"  
  
"Yep, it's me. What's up?"  
  
"I could ask you that. Now I don't know what you've done to my brat, but I think he needs to see you.   
You should come here, now."  
  
"What?!" She couldn't believe her ears. Vegeta was actually trying to do something nice for someone   
else. Was he trying to push her towards Trunks? She would not have believed that- he wouldn't want to   
even consider that possibility.  
  
"Dammit, girl, every other baka on this planet may be blind to what is happening but I am not. Trunks   
is hurting. I hope you have a damned good reason for that."  
  
Pan was very glad her parents weren't there- they had left for the weekend on business- so she could   
speak freely. "Vegeta-san, I guess I'm as blind as the rest of them. I have no idea what's going on. I   
just- he left so angrily. I thought that he wouldn't want to see me for a while."  
  
Vegeta's sigh of irritation was clearly audible. "I usually leave this sort of thing for the woman…" he   
muttered. "You should come, now."  
  
"This is…" She decided to ask, straight out. "Are you trying to get us together?"  
  
Silence. Then, in a low and absolutely serious voice, the saiyan prince answered, "I want my brat to   
have the mate he should have." Then he hung up.  
  
  
  
Half an hour later, Pan arrived at Capsule Corp. Her stomach was fluttering with nervousness; she had   
no idea what to expect. Did Trunks really love her? Did she really love him? She knew that she felt   
something for him; she'd thought it just a to-be-expected reaction to the company of an incredibly   
handsome and incredibly rich man, but maybe it wasn't. He was also one of her best and most trusted   
friends, a friendship that had lasted most of her life.  
  
She opened the door quietly and went in. Vegeta was sitting in the kitchen, reading a book, alone.   
Bulma was probably at work still; she tended to work late on Friday nights. The black-haired saiyan   
saw her, and glanced towards the stairs. In wordless reply, she nodded and took them. And Vegeta's   
approach to this whole thing was really weird.  
  
Pan paused with her hand on Trunks' door. No, she didn't quite have the nerve to face him yet. Instead,   
she went a few doors down the hall, to the room that she stayed in whenever she stayed the night over   
here. There was a good deal of her stuff in that room; books, clothes, even a few old toys. Capsule   
Corp was really a home away from home for her- it was great to have someplace else that was always   
open to her.  
  
She slipped past the ajar door- and froze at the sight of Trunks sitting on her bed.  
  
He hadn't seen her yet. He was holding a picture- an old picture that had sat with a few others by her   
bed, one of the two of them up in the branches of a huge old tree, waving with cheery grins at the   
camera. His shoulders were slumped and his head bowed with sadness, his lavender hair falling   
forward to cover his face.  
  
Pan sucked in a breath- enough to alert even this distracted a saiyan to her presence. True enough,   
Trunks looked up. A flood of emotions washed over his face at the sight of her.  
  
"Pan," he said, pleadingly, brokenly, hopefully.  
  
She discretely kicked the door shut behind her. "I don't know what to say to you, Trunks. I thought- I   
should not have- I shouldn't have been kidding about that, not ever. It's far too serious."  
  
He stood lithely. "I was serious," he agreed, his voice low. He took a few steps nearer to her.  
  
A slight blush rose across Pan's cheeks. She could smell him- he smelt good. "I- I don't know…"  
  
He came closer. "I meant every word. I think I'm falling in love with you, Pan. I have been for a long   
time. If- if you don't want that," oh, that hurt to say! "- please tell me now. If you weren't my friend, I   
would be shattered."  
  
Pan bit her lip. "Trunks, I…"  
  
His head turned away, believing he had his answer. A small sigh slipped from his lips; a tortured,   
resigned sigh.  
  
"Oh, Trunks!" Suddenly everything cleared up. Pan couldn't help giving a tiny chuckle as she reached   
out to touch Trunks' face, to turn it back to her. His eyes were confused- but when they met hers, a   
slow hope kindled deep within them. She smiled tenderly. "Trunks."  
  
She pulled his face down to hers in a tender and loving kiss.  
  
Strong arms clasped her, pulled her tight against him. Trunks breathed her name and kissed her again.   
He was so powerful, so warm, so leanly muscular- so happy to be allowed this. Over and over they   
kissed, mouths travelling across faces, nibbling on ears, sniffing and tasting throats before returning to   
eachother in a passionate affirmation. Hands were moving in slow exploration, caressing and squeezing   
gently. They were completely absorbed in what they were doing, this soft and fierce way of sharing   
their feelings.  
  
Both part-saiyans moved over toward the bed, laughing softly together as they sat on its edge to   
continue their explorations. There was no doubt in either mind as to what was coming…  
  
But as Trunks began to pull her shirt over her head, Pan stopped him with a touch of her hand.  
  
He looked at her, a slight frown marring the smooth line of his brow. She laid a finger on his lips.   
"Your dad'd know," she murmured. It was true. No saiyan could be in the same house as this thing and   
not know it was happening.  
  
He looked disappointed. Pan laughed. Lowering her head to regard him from under her lashes, she gave   
a tiny smile, then pulled him closer to whisper into his ear, "My parents are away for the weekend."  
  
He had never been quite so turned on as he was at that moment. He wanted nothing but Pan- he wanted   
her more than air, more than life. But still… He murmured back, "Are you sure, Pan?"  
  
In reply she kissed him lightly, on the neck, just below his ear. He could feel her body tremble slightly   
under his hands, and knew that she was nervous, but that she wanted him just as much as he wanted   
her. She breathed, "I love you, Trunks. And I believe you when you say that you love me."  
  
He picked her up, grinning down at her, and opened the window.  
  
  
  
Vegeta picked up the phone. "Who is this, and what do you want!" he snapped at it. He was getting   
irritable- it was past dinnertime, and Bulma hadn't gotten home yet to make his food. If she didn't turn   
up soon, he might have to call in some pizzas.  
  
"Oh, hi, Vegeta, it's just me," Pan answered, a hint of laughter in her voice. "I was just calling to tell   
you that I'm borrowing Trunks for the weekend. If that's alright with you, of course."  
  
The saiyan was silent for a moment. He wasn't exactly sure how he felt about that idea- but he knew   
that they were bonding, that they would be eachother's ideal mates. It was only human foibles that   
suggested against the two spending a few days getting to know eachother very thoroughly. "Your   
parents will not approve, Pan."  
  
"My parents don't need to know. They're at a conference until Monday morning."  
  
Oh. He found himself actually blushing a little. He'd not thought the girl would be so bold. "What's   
your cover story?"  
  
"Oh, good idea. That would help, wouldn't it? Um- Trunks is helping me with an assignment. A big   
one."  
  
"What assignment?"  
  
"Ummmm…. Biology?" She gave a throaty chuckle. "Yeah. Oh, um, adaptive physiology. That'll do."  
  
"You're not very good at this, are you. Look, I'll try as well as I can to keep everybody out of your hair   
until then. Okay?"  
  
"Sure. Thanks, Vegeta! You've been really great!"  
  
He hmphed, and hung up. Silly girl.  
  
  
  
Bulma did finally get home, just in time to feed the hungry Prince, and accepted Vegeta's story easily.   
He felt a bit odd about covering up for Trunks when, for every other affair the boy had had, he'd only   
paid attention to break them up. Those other girls had all been vapid air-headed idiots, with no real   
feelings present on either side. On the other hand, knowing that Trunks and Pan were being together   
was a good thing.  
  
Also, it gave his parents a chance to catch up on a few things over the weekend.  
  
  
  
On Sunday night, there was a knock at the door of Capsule Corp. Determined ignoring didn't make it   
go away- it only got more insistent.  
  
Finally, Vegeta removed his lips from Bulma's neck with a sigh of irritation, and lifted her down from   
the kitchen bench. She straightened her clothes somewhat guiltily, looking like a schoolgirl caught   
making out with her boyfriend- an image that made Vegeta wish whoever it was would go the hell   
away.  
  
Bulma answered the door, still looking a bit rumpled. Gohan and Videl stood there.  
  
"Hi, Bulma!" Gohan greeted cheerfully. "We finished our conference early, and Capsule Corp was on   
the way home, so we thought we'd stop by and say hello." Only then did he pick up on what was going   
on, and blushed slightly. "But maybe we'd better not."  
  
She cut him off. "Oh, no, that's fine. Why don't you guys come in? I'll make tea."  
  
Ten minutes later they were all seated in the lounge room, even Vegeta nursing a cup of tea while the   
other three chatted lightly about various things- the weather, the conference, Bulma's latest invention.  
  
"So," Videl asked eventually, "Where's Trunks? He's usually quick enough to come and say hi to a   
couple of his old friends. Is he out on one of his dates again? Jeez, he does get around."  
  
Vegeta hid a smirk. "He's at your place," he announced- and felt Gohan's ki rise fractionally. So nerd-  
boy was perceptive as well as smart, was he? "With Pan," he clarified. Up another fraction- he was   
worried. Vegeta found that highly amusing.  
  
"They were working on an assignment, weren't they?" Bulma added sweetly.  
  
Instantly Gohan's ki dropped back to normal, and he looked at Vegeta oddly. "That wasn't funny."  
  
Vegeta let an evil chuckle slip out. "Yes it was. You're so damned protective of that brat. Do you ever   
intend to let her out there in the real world?"  
  
Bulma flung a glare at him. "That was uncalled for, Vegeta."  
  
"Trunks is a good friend," Gohan said defensively, "But I don't think I'd trust him like that with my   
daughter. I know too much about how he is with all of his girlfriends. Quite frankly, I think they make   
great friends, but if he was to lay a finger on her I'd have to remove it from his hand."  
  
Videl stood. "Actually, Bulma, if you don't mind, I'd like to give them a call and let them know we're   
on our way."  
  
"That way they can hide the bottles of tequila and used condoms, can't they?"  
  
Every pair of eyes in the room glared straight at Vegeta. After a moment, he dropped his head slightly.   
Maybe that had been a little bit in bad taste.  
  
Videl went to the phone.  
  
  
  
"Pan, sweety, is that you?"  
  
"Yep. Hi, Mom! How's the conference going?"  
  
"It went just fine, honey. It actually finished early, and we've just stopped over at Capsule Corp on our   
way home. So what's up?"  
  
Pan leaned back against Trunks, who wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, not much- Trunks is over   
here, and we're just watching a movie."  
  
"Bulma said you guys were working on an assignment."  
  
"Uh, yeah, we finished it. There wasn't quite as much work as I'd thought. Now we're just hanging."   
Warm hands were slowly stroking her, moving her against him. They were watching a movie- Cruel   
Intentions- but not paying any attention to it; the lounge was just as good a place to make out as the   
bed.  
  
"OK Pan. Well, we'll be home in half an hour or so- do you reckon you can clean the house up before   
we get back?"  
  
"I can probably manage that." Trunks was trying to grab the phone off her and hang it up, so she kept   
talking. "How was it? Did you guys have a good time?"  
  
"Oh, it was pretty dull- you know those teachers, they're as boring as anything. The party last night   
was much more fun though, the one they didn't tell the head teacher about. You wouldn't imagine what   
your father got up to. Remind me to never let him drink again!"  
  
Pan pretended extreme interest, much to Trunks' irritation. He pulled her further onto his lap and   
decided on another way of regaining her full attention.  
  
"The conference, though- how painful! All about how to teach difficult children, some of the most   
pompous and useless-"  
  
Videl's words were cut off by a tiny shuddering gasp from Pan. "OK Mom gotta go see ya bye."  
  
  
  
When Pan's parents did finally get home, the two young lovers, being not complete idiots, had given   
the house a quick but thorough checkover, making sure that no evidence remained- and remembering   
to get dressed!  
  
"Hi Mom," Pan greeted, giving her mother a quick hug and kiss, and then her father too. Trunks   
nodded a greeting to both from the kitchen, where he was busily making up a big tray of food. If he   
knew Gohan, the half-saiyan would be hungry after his trip, and any way to placate him was probably a   
good idea.  
  
"Hiya sweetie," Gohan grinned, throwing a few large bags into the hall. "So did you get that   
assignment done?"  
  
"Oh, yep, sure. It wasn't that hard, just…" Her voice trailed off when she noticed her father's nose   
wrinkle.  
  
A slight frown crossed Gohan's face, and he put his hand up to his nose. Now that he'd picked up that   
smell, it hit him like a half-brick in a sock.  
  
"Are you okay, Daddy?"  
  
That smell… a good smell, but… so fresh? He and Videl hadn't done that for a few days before they   
left; where could it be coming from?  
  
Gohan, however, was a good deal more intelligent than his father. He was only genuinely confused for   
about a second. Then, slowly, his head lifted towards Trunks, his eyes burning.  
  
Oh, shit! The instant Trunks saw those eyes he was out the window.  
  
Gohan was after him before either female could blink.  
  
Pan swore loudly, but before she could launch herself after them, her mother's hand on her arm stopped   
her. "No, Daddy!" she shouted, knowing that he probably wouldn't hear her.  
  
"Honey, what was that about?" her mother asked innocently.  
  
"Um… maybe you'd better sit down, Mum."  
  
With a sigh, Videl set about making tea. "You guys weren't doing an assignment, were you?"  
  
Pan looked down, blushing. "No, Mom."  
  
"You do know… the sort of guy that Trunks is generally considered to be, don't you honey?  
  
Pan's eyes met her mother's. "I know. But I trust him." She gave a tiny smile. "Besides…" She lifted   
her hand, and Videl instantly crossed the room to snatch her hand and stare at the simple but elegant   
diamond ring that graced her finger.  
  
"He…?"  
  
"He." A happy smile lit her face. She had no idea when he'd had the time to get the ring, but after for   
some odd reason he'd bitten her nose, to which she had replied for some even odder reason by biting   
his chin, he'd slipped it on her finger with softly murmured words of love. "Both ways, saiyan and   
human." She lightly touched her neck, where a small pair of bite marks were nearly concealed by the   
fall of her raven hair. At her mother's slight frown, she explained, "These mean that I belong to him.   
He's wearing some from me, too."  
  
Videl grinned suddenly, with a slight blush. "The first time your father and I…" Her hand crept up to   
her neck, too. "I didn't know what that meant."  
  
"Ewww!" Pan flapped her hands at her mother. "Yuck! Mum, that should be on a need-to-know basis-   
and I don't need to know!"  
  
  
  
Elsewhere, Trunks wasn't faring quite so well. He had made it almost all the way back to Capsule Corp   
before Gohan, blazing into SSJ2, had caught up with him. Now he was cowering against the walls   
whilst trying to dodge a furious Gohan's flying fists, to no real avail.  
  
"Gohan!" he shouted, trying to be heard.  
  
"You bastard!" the older half-saiyan raged back. "How dare you do that to my little girl!"  
  
A fierce blow dislocated Trunks' jaw, but he kept trying to talk. "I know I can be a jerk- unh, dammit-   
but I would never" He gasped in pain. "Never hurt Pan," he finished.  
  
Gohan paused, his face still feral with fury. "What?"  
  
Taking a moment to pop his jaw back into place, Trunks repeated, "I'd never hurt her, Gohan. Never. I   
can't believe you think I would. I love her."  
  
A low growl rumbled in Gohan's throat. "How many more of your poor girls have you told that to?   
And I bet that didn't stop you from breaking their hearts after you'd gotten into their pants."  
  
Trunks stared, truly amazed that his former sensei thought so little of him, even if it was partially true.   
"I've never said to anybody else that I love them. That's way too important to lie about. I love Pan."  
  
Gohan glared at him, untrusting, and his hand flicked out- to lift lavender hair away from Trunks' neck.   
He studied the twin marks there doubtfully.  
  
Trunks lifted his head proudly. "I'm very happy to be wearing her marks," he announced, "And Pan   
tells me she's very happy to be wearing my marks as she wears my ring. We're mates, Gohan- we're   
bonded, we're in love, we're getting married soon. We would be glad to have your blessing…" his eyes   
met Gohan's with disturbing clarity, "But we will live without it if we must."  
  
Low laughter caught both of their attentions. Two pairs of eyes glanced up- to see Vegeta leaning   
against the wall not a dozen feet away, smirking his characteristic smirk. "Well said, brat."  
  
"Father?" Trunks gasped.  
  
Vegeta smirked at him- as close as he could comfortably come to a smile. Then his attention switched   
to Gohan. "I know how you feel," he said, to the shock of all present. "You can imagine how close I   
came to killing Goten when I found out what he and my own little girl were doing."  
  
The other two gasped in shock. They hadn't heard about that!  
  
"But I didn't," Vegeta said firmly. "I know he would never hurt her, because they share the saiyan   
bond, the same way that my brat and yours do."  
  
Gohan was speechless.  
  
Vegeta let a long-suffering sigh slip out. "The only thing I'm not happy about… soon I'll be related to   
that baka Kakarott by marriage. My royal blood mixing with his." He gave a little shudder of distaste,   
and finally, Gohan relaxed enough to smile.  



End file.
